5 Times Cristiano Ronaldo Was Furious at Referees for Calls Favoring Al Hilal Against Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo may have left Europe, but Europe will never truly leave him. Why? Think of El Clasico or the Madrid derby; the Portuguese superstar has been a part of many such intense and high-stakes fixtures. Well, things are no different in Saudi Arabia as he gets a similar thrill in the Riyadh derby, where Al Nassr faces Al Hilal. Unfortunately, these matches have sometimes seen Ronaldo lose his cool, even leading him to suggest a bias in refereeing against his team. With both clubs gearing up to face each other today, let’s look back at five encounters where CR7 struggled to keep his temper in check.

The time Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to punch a referee!

On April 8, in the Saudi Super Cup clash in Abu Dhabi, Al Nassr trailed Al Hilal 2-1 when things took a turn for the worse. Cristiano Ronaldo, in frustration, was sent off in the final moments for attempting to snatch the ball from a rival defender. As Albulayhi confronted him, getting close to the striker’s face, Ronaldo reacted by elbowing him, sending Albulayhi to the ground.

However, what really caught the attention of many was that, though, was unseen footage showing Ronaldo nearly making a punching gesture toward the referee as he reached for the red card. Teammates flinched at the tense moment, but the 39-year-old winger ultimately held back and lowered his arm.

Poor refereeing really gets on CR7’s nerves

In a similar Saudi Super Cup fixture, two early strikes from Al Nassr were denied by the referee due to the surprising intervention of VAR. In fact, the drama continued even at halftime, as Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates surrounded the referee, protesting the disallowed goal. On top of that, the former Real Madrid superstar’s frustration led to him being booked for protesting the referee’s decision. The Al Nassr captain was visibly displeased with the yellow card, as fans watched him shouting at the referee on his way to the dugout.

Blaming the refereeing for not being able to get a trophy from The Undertaker himself

During the Riyadh Season Cup final, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t happy with the way his team had been performing, making him frustrated. However, that somehow led him to smash the ball on the crowd in anger after referee Tori Penso gave a decision in favor of Al Hilal. While it saw him recieve a booking, Al Hilal won 2-0 against Al Nassr to get awarded the trophy from special guest, WWE icon The Undertaken.

It doesn’t end here as the aftermath saw him indulge in an angry exchange with an on-pitch official. This was due to an on-field official initially blocking his path as he started to walk through, prompting the Portuguese forward to throw up his arm in frustration before engaging in a brief, inaudible exchange.

Making fun of the ref’s favoring call for Al Hilal

In Al Hilal’s 3-1 win over Al Riyadh, a viral video showed striker Aleksandar Mitrovic attempting a shot on the run but misfiring, seemingly due to a defender’s approach. Both players ended up on the ground with little to no contact, yet the referee awarded a penalty, which Ruben Neves converted. The official even gave the defender a yellow card. Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to mock the decisioncommenting with nine laughing emojis.

This call likely frustrated Al Nassr fans more for its impact on the game’s momentum, as Al Riyadh had held the lead since the 52nd minute. However, the penalty shifted the match in Al Hilal’s favor, leading to two more goals—one being another penalty by Mitrovic in the 93rd minute. Three penalties in a single match!

A demand for a foreign referee!

In a domestic league clash last season against Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo requested that the Saudi League appoint a foreign refereefollowing a controversial decision in an earlier match where Ronaldo’s impressive header was wrongly disallowed by VAR. Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán was brought in to officiate the game. This was one of several referee decisions that had frustrated Al Nassr and CR7, reportedly prompting the club to seek foreign referees for all their matches due to their dissatisfaction with SPL officials.